CROSBY, Josiah. Falmouth, Cornwall ?.5.1880 — 4.12.1958. Sir. British Diplomat interested in South-East Asian History. Son of Captain J. P. Crosby and his wife Christina, educated in Newcastle. Studies at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge (B.A. 1902, M.A. 1928). Came to Thailand as young cadet in 1904, spent many years…
COWELL, Edward Byles. Ipswich 23.1.1826 — Cambridge 9.2.1903. British Indologist. Professor in Cambridge. In 1856-64 in India. Son of Charles Cowell (a merchant, d. 1842) and Marianne Byles. Educated in Ipswich, as a schoolboy already attracted to Sir William Jones’ Persian grammar. After the school he followed his late father…
COUVREUR, Walter. Antwerpen 25.7.1914 — Edegem, Prov. Antwerpen 17.9.1996. Belgian Linguist and Scholar of Tocharian. After school in Antwerpen studies at Leuven, also under Sieg at Göttingen. Ph.D. Leuven 1936 in Oriental languages and 1938 in Classics. In 1938-44 researcher of Nationaal Fonds van Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek in Brussels. From 1945…
COPLESTON, Reginald Stephen. Barnes, London 26.12.1845 — Wandsworth, London 19.4.1925. Rev. British Priest in Sri Lanka and India. Son of Rev. Reginald Edward Copleston, of Barnes, Surrey. Educated at Merchant Taylor’s school, studies from 1864 at Exeter College, Oxford (B.A. 1869). In 1870-75 Fellow of St. John College. M.A. 1871,…
COOMARASWAMY, Ananda Kentish (Kumārasvāmi). Colombo 22.8.1877 — Needham, MA 9.9.1947. Sri Lankan/British Art Historian and Indologist in the U.S.A. Son of Sir Mutu Coomaraswamy (1834–1879, a noted Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer and statesman) and Elizabeth Clay Beeby (1851–1939, she came from Kent, therefore “Kentish”), lost early his father and grew…
CONZE, Edward (Eberhard Julius Dietrich Conze). Forest Hill (London) 18.3.1904 — Yeovil, Somerset 24.9.1979. British (German-born) Indologist and Buddhist Scholar. Son of Ernst Conze (1872–1935), a lawyer, and Adelaide Louise Charlotte Köttgen (1882–1962). Born in England where his father was German Vice-Consul (he was thus entitled to British citizenship). Studies…
CONRADY, August. Wiesbaden 28.4.1864 — Leipzig 3/4.6.1925. German Indologist and Sinologist. Professor in Leipzig. Son of the priest and church historian Ludwig Conrady (1833–1907) and Anna Babette (d. 1864), the daughter of —> P. von Bohlen, nephew of archaeologist Wilhelm Conrady (1829–1903). Educated at Wiesbaden Gymnasium, then studies of Sanskrit,…
COLLINS, Richard. Bicker, Lincolnshire 20.10.1828 — Kirkburton, Yorkshire 30.10.1900. Rev. British Missionary of Church Missionary Society in India and Sri Lanka. Son of Rev. Richard Collins (1794–1882), later vicar of Kirkburton, and his wife Mary. Studies at St.John’s College, Cambridge (M.A. 1851). Ordained as deacon 1851, as priest 1853. In…
CŒDÈS, George (Georges). Paris 10.8.1886 — Neuilly-sur-Seine 2.10.1969. French South-East Asian Scholar (Historian and Epigraphist). Son of bank director Hippolyte Cœdès and Marie Carette. The family is sometimes claimed to have Hungarian Jewish origin, but according to Wikipedia his ancestors were already living in Strasbourg before 1740. Educated at Lycée…
CLOUGH, Benjamin. Bradford, Yorkshire 1791 — Southwark, Kent 13.4.1853. British Methodist Missionary and Pāli Scholar in Sri Lanka. Lost his father, a militia officer, when four. Joined the Methodists in the age of 17 and became a preacher. Ordained priest and went to Ceylon among the first Methodist missionaries in…